Having been comfortably defeated in their opening match the day before, the Cape Town First XI bounced back magnificently in their next pool match against Green Point at Durbanville CC. While the previous day had been a struggle for the batters throughout, the runs flowed freely on this occasion despite the overhead conditions being the same – for only the ninth time in Cape Town’s 91 matches played to date in the T20 format, over 320 runs were scored in the game. In addition, Cape Town completed their highest successful run chase in the format, equalling the 165-9 they scored batting second in losing to Brackenfell in 2021.
This time around Cape Town elected to field first, but the wisdom of the decision looked questionable after Patrick van Niekerk cracked two sixes and two fours to rocket Green Point to 32-0 from the first three overs. However, both openers fell just an over apart not long afterwards, and thereafter the Green Point innings relied almost solely on Neil Eksteen for its continued further progress. Not that this was necessarily a problem for them though, as once Eksteen had reversed-swept his first boundary from his ninth ball faced, there was just one over thereafter until reaching his 34-ball fifty with another reverse-sweep in the 14th over (including three sixes and four fours), in which he failed to hit at least one boundary.
Still, a lack of support at the other end limited what Green Point might have achieved. He shared a 51-run stand in six overs with Gerry van Vuuren, but the latter’s single boundary in the seventh over would be last one struck in the innings by any Green Point batter other than Eksteen. But until the final over began, the steady attrition at the other end did little to hinder Eksteen, who cruised unstoppably to 71 from 51 balls, with four sixes and four fours.
But then came Alex Draai and that final over. Getting one through Eksteen at long last, he then splayed the stumps again with his next delivery too – before finally inducing a catch on the boundary to finish with three scalps in the over (all while conceding just three runs off the bat) – and completing a career-best Cape Town return of 4-29 for his efforts.
All of this meant that Green Point didn’t quite get the big finish that they had seemed well-positioned to achieve. However, setting a victory target of 160 was nevertheless a rather tough challenge, and they would’ve probably fancied themselves as favourites during the break between innings. Doubtlessly even more so when Cape Town’s chief pace setter Tristan Coetzee then fell as early as the second over of the run chase. But his successor Mathew Goles cut just his fourth ball faced over backward point for six, followed immediately in the next over by Jamie Marillier punching one back past the bowler on the back foot – before using his feet next ball to loft the second of what would be three fours in the over, back to the same spot. Marillier would slog-sweep a six as well in the over after that, raising Cape Town’s 50 in the initial six-over PowerPlay and keeping them right up with the asking rate. Though he then fell to his next ball faced, the required momentum had been created, and Goles and Josh Chippendale did not thereafter squander it.
A whipped four and six over mid wicket off consecutive balls set Chippendale on his way early on, and thereafter he and Goles traded sixes as they took complete control over proceedings: Goles hit two sixes in consecutive overs, followed by Chippendale responding immediately with two of his own off consecutive balls. The first raised their fifty partnership from just 35 balls, and two overs later Goles completed a 32-ball fifty – having struck three sixes and three fours en route.
The pair’s predations reduced a task of 109 needed off 13 overs to just 33 still wanted frothe last five, such that Cape Town had even been eyeing a possible bonus-point win. That was always going to be optimistic in pursuit of such a large target though, and two tight overs in succession put paid to that idea. Indeed, 21 still wanted off the last three even offered Green Point a glimmer of possible hope. However, Goles hit the first ball of the 18th over for six, and Chippendale drove its last delivery for four, completing their hundred partnership from 70 balls and putting the result beyond doubt. All that then remained was for Chippendale to cart a consecutive four and six in the following over to reach his own fifty from 39 balls faced, and seal Cape Town’s win with a comfortable eight balls – and an even more dominant eight wickets – still in hand.
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